


The Black and White Parade

by pocketsfullofmice



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, Venom (Movie 2018)
Genre: M/M, Other, early-2000 emo band references, this came out less explicitly eddie/venom than planned, tony hates san francisco
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-20
Updated: 2018-12-20
Packaged: 2019-09-23 10:27:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,121
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17078597
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pocketsfullofmice/pseuds/pocketsfullofmice
Summary: After receiving word from a friend of a friend of a sort-of-maybe friend of a former workmate, Tony investigates the remains of the Life Foundation.Apparently hitchhiking isn't just a human activity.





	The Black and White Parade

**Author's Note:**

  * For [MassiveSpaceWren](https://archiveofourown.org/users/MassiveSpaceWren/gifts).



> I decided to combine several prompts of my request into one. This came out less explicitly Eddie/Venom than planned, but I hope you enjoy :)

Tony hated NorCal. The furthest north he willingly went in the state was Santa Barbara, and that was once a year as part of a broader Stark Industries charity event that his mother had set up that involved the symphony orchestra. By and large, for Tony, NorCal was dead to him, and that was just the way he liked it.

That was until Steve had told him that Sam had told him that Scott had some news from some guy called Luis, who'd spoken to someone called Eddie (and by then Tony had tuned out), who had some news about something happening involving the Life Foundation. That had been what piqued Tony's interest, particularly after the destruction of its space programme. 

Although the Life Foundation wasn't a direct competitor (nor had it ever been), something about Drake had always rubbed Tony the wrong way. The young, bright upstart was a hark back to his own youthful days, and the comparisons were plentiful. Whereas Tony had always been upfront and honest about his dealings (wherever possible), though, something about the young Carlton Drake remained shrouded in a smug mystery. Tony knew it was wrong to speak-and-slash-or-think ill of the dead, but even now he couldn't help it. Besides, following the grain had never been his style. 

Seeing San Francisco from night, even several thousand feet in the air and in the safety of one of his suits, filled him with a sick feeling of disappointment. It was like ordering Coca-Cola at a restaurant and being asked if Pepsi was okay. He did a steady loop of the wider metropolitan area as Scott's phone number in the periphery of his vision in his HUD in case he decided to cut his losses and bail. Scott could ask Luis who could ask, shit, _someone_ to do the scouting for him. As fun as it would be to rummage through the technological pockets of the former Carlton Drake, Tony wasn't _that_ curious. He'd been assured the Life Foundation building was abandoned, but he didn't trust fifth-hand information. 

Tony continued his lazy pace, wondering if he ought to stop for an In-n-Out burger, and yawned. It wasn't until he spotted the Life Foundation building alight and sirens blaring off in the distance that his interest finally raised. Although its status as a genetics corporation was still up in the air, it was apparently being run as a legitimate pharmaceutical company in a standard office skyscraper nearer the middle of the city. The original building off the shore of San Francisco wasn't meant to still be in use, though. But there it was, lights ablaze and sirens screeching. Taking that a sign as the story he'd been told having some credibility, Tony turned and followed the air currents to the island. 

'Status, F.R.I.D.A.Y.?' 

_Caution advised, Mr Stark_ , came the tinny response in his ear. _Missiles on the perimeter and at two guard stations, evenly spaced thirty feet-_

'Got it, don't get hit. Wait, are they act- ' 

Tony's unfinished question was answered for him. As he neared the island, there was a shriek as something flew by somewhere to his right. He barrel rolled, swearing loudly in shock, and watched as his HUD lit up. The camouflage of the missile (apparently _very_ active) was similar enough to his own that he wondered where Drake could have sourced it. Tony's first thought was H.A.M.M.E.R., and a dozen equally shady companies sprang into his mind. He had no chance to stew on that decision when another was shot in his direction. 

'Jesus! F.R.I.D.A.Y., get me out- ' 

_Marking a path now, Mr Stark. Will we leave the civilian behind?_

'Civilian?' 

On his interface, F.R.I.D.A.Y. marked the civilian in question. There atop one of the buildings was a man. The heat signature indicated he was being set upon by a dozen or so security personnel who were crawling out of the rooftop door. Groaning under his breath, Tony felt a tug in the back of his mind that maybe he should leave, which he quickly squashed. With a word to F.R.I.D.A.Y., a path was charted between the missiles and Tony was flying down. 

'Steve owes me.' 

_Yes, Mr Stark._

'And so does Scott.' 

_Will you be posting his bail when he's next arrested? I can have the wire transfer preemptively organised._

Tony paused. He turned around a missile, slipped past a second, and began closing in one the building. 

'Up to two grand. Hang tight, I'm putting down the landing gear.' Then, switching over to his loud speaker, to the panicked individual atop the building, 'hey, My Chemical Romance!' 

'Wha- ' 

Before the man, who was doing a brilliant impression of a goldfish, could reply, Tony wrapped his arms around him just under his armpits, and hauled him up. Hugging him close, he shot into the sky, listening to bullets ricochet off his back. The unwilling participant clambered over Tony, his hands smacking over the suit. There was something familiar about him, but Tony was more interested in getting away from the island. 

Up they soared. The island shore slipped away from them and was replaced by the thick, dark ocean. Tony could almost hear the waves crashing as the typical San Francisco night chill closed in on them. 

'Please- please, I can- oh _, God_ , we're so high- ' 

The man's hands smacked on his suit again. Tony could feel his nails catching over the bolts, his feet dragging down his legs. Great, he was going to fucking scratch it. 

'Only in terms of altitude, unless you're referring to drug use, in which case, I'll get you a doner kebab once we land.' 

'No, I mean, we're really- oh, _shit_ , behind you!' 

The man started to squirm again. His hands crashed along the sides of Tony's suit, his nails scratching and catching at the join lines. It was difficult to hold onto him and focus on getting to the shoreline, a fact that was made all the more apparent as he began to slip from Tony's hold. It meant Tony was distracted and didn't immediately catch on the flashing lights and alarm that signalled the last of the missiles had caught up to him. Scott's phone number had suddenly been replaced with search and rescue. 

F.R.I.D.A.Y. attempted to take over, _attempted_ being the operative word. Tony suddenly found himself dropping down, losing altitude rapidly. He swore, tried to fly up, only to find a gust of cold wind hitting his back. The lights in his HUD sprang to life in reds and oranges, impossible to ignore. The bell in his ear became incessant and Tony had no choice but to read the warning notices as he began to drop. 

_Damage to upper left quadrant along the back panel. Routing power to landing position._

'Routing...? F.R.I.D.A.Y., how far is the shore?' 

_Approximately nine hundred and eighty-four feet._

'And how high are we?' 

_Approximately eight hundred and seventy-nine feet. We are losing altitude at a speed of-_

'Got it.' 

'Oh, _God_ , we're gonna die,' the man, who was doing a fantastic job of recreating fashion from the early noughties cried out. 

Tony had no idea how much he'd heard, or if he'd even heard anything. But it didn't seem to matter. There was a sudden dip, which even Tony felt in the confines of his suit, as one of his repulsors lost flight stability and they fell several feet suddenly. 

'No, we're not!' Tony shot back. 

**_Agreed._**

The sudden deep voice had Tony's attention. Looking down, finally giving his rescued companion a second look, he saw something thick and black emerge from the back of the man's neck. It could have been a trick of the light reflecting off the ocean. Tony _hoped_ it was. But it moved, twisting around the man's shoulder. It was Tony's turn to cry out. As the creature leapt up his arm, Tony suddenly let go, his hands groping at thin air. F.R.I.D.A.Y. kept his arms locked in a secure position, the suit refusing to let the man drop to his cold, wet death. 

**_I got it._**

'Get off, get off, get off!' 

'Mr Stark, it's fine, Venom's not gonna hurt you!' 

**_Not hurting you,_** the voice chimed in, in a way that Tony supposed he wasn't meant to take as agreeable. 

It didn't matter. Tony wasn't listening. Wormholes, pitch black skies and endless voids filled his mind, as deep and depthless as the creature that slithered up his arm and to his shoulder. While Tony prided himself on keeping a hold of himself and even the most mind boggling of situations, that wasn't the case right then. He watched as best he could as the creature attached himself to his shoulder and disappeared over his back. 

He wished he could see what was happening. There was a camera lodged on the back of his helmet, but the debris from the damage had knocked the sensor loose. He was as blind back there as anyone else. 

The cold wind suddenly stopped and the blaring sirens echoing in his ear came to a stop. 

_Damage temporarily sealed._

That wasn't nearly as reassuring as F.R.I.D.A.Y. likely thought it was. 

* 

The wet sand crunched under Tony's feet as he paced up and down the shoreline. Even the sand felt different in NorCal. The air tasted different, the ocean sounded different. Rubbing his hands over his face, he tried to breathe in the strange, utterly wrong air, and turned on the ball of his foot. His shoes, soft soled and made of cotton, weren't the best for walking along the beach. He'd have to ask Pepper when he was next back in New York what she'd recommend. 

Behind him, his suit whirred and buzzed as F.R.I.D.A.Y. attempted to repair the damage as best they were able to, given the circumstances. This was meant to be a reconnaissance mission, and Tony had dressed accordingly. The MK XVI wasn't intended for repairs the way, say, the MK XXIX was. It would be a quick patch job, but it might get him to his next location. 

'Okay, let me get this straight,' he said as he made his way back to the future leader singer of an emo revival band. 'Black Parade, you have this... _thing_ inside of you.' 

**_I am not a thing._**

The man Tony had rescued seemed equally offended. He lifted a hand in a manner that could almost be described as protective and cupped the back of the creature's head. His fingers swiped over the creature's head, even as it writhed and tried to study Tony. 

'My name is Eddie Brock. I did a front-page story on you for the Daily Globe.' 

'You and everyone else.' 

' _Three_ times,' Gerard Way-by-way-of-Benji-Madden scoffed. 'I was one of the first journalists you spoke to after Ivan Vanko.' 

'Nope, not ringing any bells.' 

'We talked about Trevor Slattery. I compared him to an overfried prawn cracker.' 

'Nothin'.' 

'You laughed,' Eddie attempted. Then, desperately, ' _you_ called _me_.' 

'Did I?' Tony scratched his chin as he tried to find anything that sounded familiar. Nothing was springing to mind. Shaking his head, he looked back at Eddie, deliberately avoiding studying the alien. 'And- and what, now you have an alien bug inside you?' 

**_I am not a bug._**

'He's more of a parasite. A cross between a tapeworm and a really handy conjoined twin. He's kinda like my own Iron Man suit, only made of living flesh and needs to be fed.' 

'I find that needlessly offensive,' Tony muttered, mostly to himself. 

He paused a moment and just stared at Eddie. Sucking in a sharp breath through his teeth, he finally let his eyes rest on the head that was perched on Eddie's shoulder. A pair of wide, white eyes that seemed like had pastel watercolours streaked through them stared back at him. His jaw was framed with a sharp, toothy smile. Unable to help himself, Tony shuddered, spun on the ball of his foot and began back up the beach. His suit stood open and empty nearby, ready for him to race into it and jet off if need be. The repairs likely wouldn't be finished, but maybe he could shoot up over the dunes and find something tall to climb. The pile of goop didn't seem like it would be able to move very quickly. 

Scratching the back of his head, Tony ran his mind over the wild story Eddie had finished telling him moments earlier about how he'd acquired his own personal tapeworm and how the Life Foundation had been involved. God, that was such a Carlton Drake thing to do. It was only a step above Justin Hammer. 

'What the _hell_ were you even doing back there?' 

'Well, my buddy Luis, he told me that he'd heard from his friend, Santiago, that the files on all the missing people were still in the building, and my old friend Maria- ' 

'No. No. You know what? No.' 

'What?' Eddie stared at him, open-mouthed. Even the bug seemed stunned he'd been cut off. 

**_Rude._**

Tony held up a hand and shook his head. Taking a breath, he waved his hand. 

'This is why I hate San Francisco. All of your friend-of-a-friend stories. That's it, I've had enough. Gerard Way, you're on your own.' 

'I don't- I honestly don't understand that reference.' 

'Liar.' 

**_Liar._**

Tony eyeballed the slick, black alien that was still perched on Eddie's shoulder. The corners of his mouth turned down as he studied it. He really didn't know what to make of it. It didn't look anything like the chitauri, except for perhaps the serpent-like leviathans that they utilised. Despite his vast difference, though, to the massive, slightly cybernetic aliens that had once attacked New York, Tony still found himself taking half a step away from him. 

'Okay, you got me,' Eddie replied, holding his hands up in defeat. 'I just happen to be more of a Linkin Park fan. So... analogies. I'd prefer them a little more accurate.' 

Tony stared at Eddie. Then, turning to the alien atop his shoulder, 'I'm so sorry.' 

It was hard to tell if the creature shrugged. He had no discernible shoulders, nor any clear facial features beyond his too-large eyes and long, sharp teeth. The end of one of the twisting, tentacle-like structures that fell from it had wrapped around Eddie's bicep. Another one was swaying back and forth on Eddie's chest, almost like a cat's tail. From the angle Tony was standing, it damn near looked like the alien was caressing Eddie. Shaking his head, chasing the thought from his mind, he pressed his fingers to his temples and took a breath. 

'So Carlton Drake, when he sent that rocket up... it was to kidnap a bunch of aliens?' 

**_Yes._**

' _No_ ,' Eddie said, gently laying a hand on the alien's... snout? Nose? Head? Tony was suddenly reminded that sometimes the front of a whale's head was called a melon. 'That just happened to be the result.' 

'And he then proceeded to kidnap a bunch of homeless people and... infect them?' 

**_Yes._**

'In a manner of speaking.' 

'And you've kept one of them. Willingly.' 

**_Yes._**

Eddie didn't immediately respond. He blinked slowly, turned to the alien next to him, and smacked his lips together. 

'To be fair, I had a home at the time, and I wasn't a voluntary test subject. I just stuck around. Venom's my partner.' 

' _Venom_?' Tony repeated, incredulous. 'What, was "Toxin" taken?' 

**_Yes._**

'Do you say _anything_ else?' 

Venom (which apparently was the creature's name, a fact that Tony wasn't entirely sure how to handle) cocked his head to the side. He eyeballed the slippery black creature, and now that Tony watched him, he was becoming more certain by the minute that the alien was definitely caressing Eddie. 

**_You have damage to your liver. Your left shoulder is lower than the right. There's been repeated injuries there. You should get your eyes checked in case you need glasses._**

Tony paused. A rather unsettled feeling washed over him as he stood there, a knot developing in his chest. Although the alien creature ( _Venom_ , apparently) was rather featureless, he had the impression of it smirking at him. Turning the corners of his lips down, he shook his head and looked away. No, he wasn't going to focus on that. Aliens were always bad news. Eddie could keep this one and its toothy wide grin. Tony had other things to do, like flying back to New York and telling Scott he could take his Life Foundation and shove it. 

Clicking his tongue, he turned on the ball of his foot and started back to the suit. As he walked, he waved his hand over at Eddie and Venom, his mind still reeling. Drake. Life Foundation. Missiles. _Aliens_. He wasn't sure which one of these was the biggest shock. 

Clapping his hands together, the suit opened up for him to step into. As he backed up into it, he saw Eddie and Venom watching him. Eddie was definitely petting Venom's head now, his fingers idly scratching the top of the worm-shaped creature's head, as though he were some strange dog or fox-skin stole. 

'Mr Stark?' Eddie started, before the suit could close around him. 

'What is it, Hybrid Theory?' 

The nickname had Eddie pausing for a moment. He watched as Eddie closed his pale eyes, his eyebrows shooting up as he rocked back on his heels and nodded. Venom turned to look up at him, a twitch in his large, white eyes as though he was trying to figure out whether to be insulted or not, before Eddie shook his head and looked back at Venom. 

'How're we gonna get out of here?' he asked, waving his hand about. 

The sand dunes beside them were high and far too steep for anyone to climb. Behind Eddie was also a rocky outcropping, a cliff side wall that would be dangerous to even rappel down. Tony looked over his own shoulder. 

'Fifteen klicks down there, you'll get back onto the main road.' 

'You expect me to _walk_?' Eddie shot at him, incredulous. 

'What, your living personification of 2003 can't fly?' 

**_No._**

'Thank you for your contribution,' Tony replied to him shortly. 

**_You're welcome._**

Tony tried not to shudder as he was grinned at, those sharp, shiny teeth catching his attention. With a gurgle in the back of his throat, Tony stepped back into his seat. His back met up with the reassuring rear and it began to close around him. As his helmet closed around his head, he saw Eddie's furrowed brow and his lips twisted into a lopsided moue of confusion. 

'Mr Stark?' he called, just as the last bolts were twisted into place. 

'Make your own way home, Brock. This taxi's full.' 

Before he could make his leave, Venom leapt off Eddie's shoulder. He flung through the air, Tony unprepared to fire, and slithered over his shoulder. Before he knew what was happening, a pair of teeth sunk into the back of his left shoulder, where the forgotten damage to his suit had taken place. As the teeth lightly pricked his skin, Tony heard a voice deep in his head. 

**_We'll pay you in Hershey's Kisses._**

A warm, wet tongue dragged over his shoulder, and despite the material of his shirt, Tony could feel a slightly acidic saliva soaking through the material. Tony found himself unable to resist the deal. 

* 

They flew through the night, Tony clutching onto Eddie who seemed unreasonably terrified. Venom was wrapped around his back, covering the hole where the debris from the missile had struck him. It wasn't comfortable by any means, having an alien attached to his back, but it at least took the bite away from the cold night air. It was always a wonder, for Tony, just how cold NorCal could get. 

He deposited the pair at the end of the highway. It was closer to the city than where Tony had originally told them to walk to, though Eddie still seemed somewhat unsatisfied with their location. Mostly, though, he just seemed happy to have his feet back on solid ground. 

'I could always just return you back up the beach,' Tony pointed out, once Venom was wrapped back around Eddie. 

Eddie's brows twitched. 'This will be fine.' 

_Route established to Stark Industries San Francisco base. Flight time eight minutes, seventeen seconds. Recommended altitude eight thousand and sixty-two feet._

As F.R.I.D.A.Y. finished her analysis, Tony nodded at Eddie, not quite prepared to make any sudden movements just yet. The alien's wide, white eyes were still boring into his skull. 

'Right. Well. You have a safe walk home.' 

There was a strange groaning sound, like an overfull bathtub beginning to drawn of water. The symbiote had begun to twist around Eddie, black ooze stretching out over his limbs and back and chest. Tony watched, instinctively taking half a step back as Eddie grew tall and wide. Within moments he was towering over him, even in his suit. His black body rippled in the night. From a distance, Tony would have trouble differentiating him from the night sky. Rows and rows of sharp teeth, long and white and curving over his mouth, gnashed at him. A cold drop of fear went down Tony's spine and he held his breath. 

If he was scared of Venom before, that was nothing to say about now. He would have preferred the small, worm-like goop that Eddie had been wearing like a winter scarf. Not... not _this_. This creature that grinned at him. Whose broad shoulders would have had him struggling to walk through doorways, whose heft looked like Tony would be crushed in an instant of he wasn't wearing his suit. Although Venom didn't seem to quite have the same enhancements as the Chitauri, there was still something about him that caused Tony to swallow his lunch back down. 

'Mr Stark?' 

'Uh.' 

Part of Venom's face peeled away. Vines and tendrils and threads were curled back by some unseen force and revealed Eddie's face. Black strands still clung to it, giving him the appearance of something from a horror movie Tony had once seen. 

'Can I have another interview with you? I'd love to have your opinion on- ' 

'Nope. _No_. Nope, nope. I'm off. Peace out, Meteora.' 

'Wait! Just- just hold it. I've got something.' 

Eddie was digging about in what appeared to be pockets that had formed around Venom's hips. The rippling black second-skin of the alien was twisting around him, moving and peeling away when Eddie began searching about. It was unsettling to watch and Tony didn't particularly want to stick around to watch it happen. Finally, he peeled something out and held it out. It was a thumb drive. 

'Here. This is everything I could find on the last of the Life Foundation computers.' 

Holding the thumb drive, Tony eyeballed it and looked up at Eddie. 

'Don't you need this?' 

'I've got another.' 

' _Two_?' Tony asked, incredulous. 

Eddie shrugged. 'I always take a second. You never know when you might need back up.' 

Breathing in sharply, Tony shook his head. As much as he'd love to stick around and ask a couple of more questions, the twisting skin was beginning to make him feel nauseated. 

Tony shot up into the sky. Although his left repulsor wasn't as stable as it typically was, thanks to the damage in his back plate, he was able to follow the route to the Stark Industries office. Down below, somewhere along the beach, he heard a roar and a deep thud that grew quieter the higher into the sky he flew. When he looked back, he saw inky black tearing along the road, and, further in the distance, was the Life Foundation. 

He'd reached half his total planned altitude when there was a faint thud against his helmet. Without asking, F.R.I.D.A.Y. shot out a net from a side panel to catch the object as it bounced from his helmet to his shoulder and fell away. When he looked down, it was a slightly crushed Hershey's chocolate. Staring at the silver foil-wrapped chocolate, Tony shook his head and soared back into the sky. F.R.I.D.A.Y. pulled the net back inside and slid the chocolate into a panel. Perhaps it was better if he didn't look down. 


End file.
